By Gena Ansell-Lande
What could be more important than looking—and feeling—your
best on your wedding day? Sometimes, however, the stress of wedding planning
can take a lot out of a girl and leave you feeling all sorts of blah
rather than beautiful. Luckily, New Jersey Bride has met with the experts
and uncovered some key tricks to looking your best on the big day.
Generally speaking, a six-month countdown is recommended to make sure
you look as radiant as possible on your wedding day. If you only have
a couple of weeks left, you can use these tips to help achieve that center-of-attention
look. The following is your own guide to looking and feeling like a princess.
Grace Caputi, makeup artist for Jonathan Salon in Red Bank (732-212-0024;
jonathansalonredbank.com), says the hottest trends in the makeup industry
right now are the use of airbrush foundation and eyelash extensions. “Airbrush
makeup gives brides that flawless look of porcelain skin, and is ideal
for photography,” she says. “Eyelash extensions will make
your eyes ‘pop,’ giving them a dramatic look without the
hassle of mascara.” The best part about these techniques is that
it means less makeup, and if you plan on getting married in the month
of August when humidity is at its worst, it is especially nice.
Lori Dunn of Model Bride in Chatham (973-635-1756; modelbride.com) suggests
allowing at least two hours for the bride’s hair and makeup. For
each additional bridesmaid, add thirty minutes. She recommends having
your hair styled before makeup so that you look fresh when walking out
the door.
For a more glamorous look, Gabriel Shimunov, owner of Gorgeous Bride in
Manhattan suggests using fake eyelashes or a hint of sparkle to give your
face a stunning glow, “This is your time to shine so don’t hold
back,” he says. “Also make sure you and your stylist
have gone over any special design instructions before the
big day.”
Most brides cry at their wedding—and some grooms do, too. But
even if you don’t think you’re the crying type, with so many
waterproof products out there why take a chance? Dunn suggests using
an eye shadow base to help prevent creasing of shadow.
And use a long-lasting lipstick. This type of lipstick will stand up
to a day filled with close-ups and kisses. Dunn shares this tip with
us: “First apply foundation over the lips, then line with a lip
liner. Apply lipstick with a brush and use a lip sealer to lock in color.”
Give the all-important task of “being your mirror” for the
day to someone you trust implicitly. This could be a bridesmaid in your
bridal party or a family member. Ask them to keep an eye on you and let
you know if you need a touch up. They might also do you the favor of
stashing your lipstick in their purse for easy access. Also be sure you
have an “In case of emergency” kit handy with items like
clear nail polish and a sewing kit nearby so you are prepared for anything
the day has to offer.
Be sure to do a dry run. Make sure you test out beauty products at least
once before the big day. At Model Bride, Dunn photographs her brides
with their perfect look, and a face chart is then created for them.
And perhaps the most important tip of all is to relax. A relaxed bride
is a beautiful bride. Remember, a wedding succeeds as long as you end
up married at the end of the day. Everything else is just icing on the
cake—but you might as well make the icing beautiful.
Six Weeks to Beautiful
By Sharon Naylor
One of the biggest wishes that any bride has is to look beautiful, stunning, and radiant on her wedding day, and the glow comes from more than the gown. Now, brides are flocking to beauty salons for in-advance help with their skin, brows, and of course, makeup and hair for the big day. And some programs offer much more than that. How does a personal trainer and cosmetic dentistry sound?
At DeVenir Bridal in Millburn (973-984-1159; www.devenirbridal.com), owner Gillian Moritz has started a new six-week program to give the bride the celebrity VIP treatment to achieve her best look for the wedding day. “The bride comes to us three months before the wedding,” says Moritz. “And we get her started with our group of experts. We send her to a dentist for tooth whitening—and we have had some brides invest in veneers and Invisalign as their own add-on to the package—and we send her to a personal trainer for six weeks of workouts, nutrition, and progress monitoring. We also provide skincare advice and products to get her skin glowing.”
Consider it getting the canvas ready for the artwork. As the bride works with her team of experts, DeVenir brings her in for trial hairstyle and makeup applications to find her best wedding-day look. “We also offer brides the new hot trends in brow sculpting and hair extensions, and we set up her appointment for wedding day makeup application, nails, and hairstyle.” As the pampered bride during those hectic six weeks before the wedding, this well-being and beauty program has proven to keep stress at bay and make that wedding day dream of radiance come true.
Many beauty salons offer pre-wedding beauty packages, but it’s these extra programs that make a bride feel special. Most women visit salons on a regular basis, but as The Bride, they want the full package. Their wedding day look depends on it.
“Most brides are so busy during the months before the wedding that they forget to take care of themselves,” says Lori Dunn, owner of Model Bride in Chatham (www.modelbride.com). “So we encourage them to come in as early as possible and start all the skincare and beauty processes that remove their anxiety,” says Dunn. “We spend two hours with the bride, interviewing her to see what she likes, what her wedding is like, how she wants to look. We start very naturally with the makeup and then slowly build to a more dramatic look to see what she’s comfortable with. When we reach the perfect look, we take pictures and notes so that we can duplicate it on the wedding day.” One big trend is hair extensions, and many brides want to practice with false eyelashes, as well as take home the skincare products to get used to them and maximize their effect during the months before the wedding. “What makes us unique is that we have veils, headpieces, and accessories right here in the salon, so we can try out the best design pieces to go with her chosen hairstyle,” says Dunn.
Clearly, the old-world advice of going to the beauty salon a few weeks in advance is outdated, since more brides want the special care of a team of experts in order to look stunning on the wedding day…as well as for all of those pre-wedding parties, showers, and the rehearsal dinner. What they learn they take with them on the honeymoon and onward into a very beautiful future.
Instant Beauty - With No Needles Required
By Antoinette DeNise
It’s considered the biggest day of a woman’s life. And with the attention of more than a hundred people, it seems almost natural for brides to seek professional beauty help to look their best. But, when does a spa facial turn into Botox treatments, collagen injections, and liposuction? Just like eating your favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream after a bad breakup, it’s easy to overdo it.
So, to help you stay grounded, we’ve found an arsenal of natural products and noninvasive procedures that give great results—from glowing skin to a more svelte body. No needles or scalpels required.
“People expect you to look your absolute best on your wedding day,” says Nancy Dugan, a New Jersey-based professional makeup artist with more than 20 years of experience. “The best way to do that is by enhancing the bride’s natural beauty and illuminating their most attractive features, instead of masking their flaws.”
Dugan recommends a series of services that make a huge difference without an ounce of makeup. And the best part, all of these treatments will last through the honeymoon. The more simple services are shaping the eyebrows ($10 to $60) and eyebrow tinting ($10 to $60) if the hair has been lightened or darkened. For brides with long, light-colored lashes, Dugan suggests eyelash tinting ($25 to $50). The color lasts for a month and makes lashes appear thick and long, eliminating the need for mascara. The solution for short lashes is eyelash extensions, where individual lashes are glued onto each lash. The extensions last up to a month, and shed with your natural lashes. A full set costs around $400, and corner lashes cost $200.
To create luminous skin without a pricey trip to the spa, try Dr. LeWinn’s Instant Beauty Radiance Booster ($39). Made from natural ingredients like aloe vera, olive fruit oil, witch hazel, and algae extract, the lotion reduces the look of tired skin and moisturizes to produce a healthy glow. The Australia-based Dr. LeWinn’s skincare line was just launched this fall in the United States, and is available at department stores nationwide and on their website (www.drlewinss.com).
If you’re planning to loose a few pounds for the big day, Parisi Sports Clubs have a new program that takes the guess work out of weight loss. It’s called the BodyBugg and it counts how many calories a person burns throughout the day versus how many calories are consumed. To lose weight, a person must maintain a calorie deficient, a formula considered hard to calculate before the BodyBugg. “The basic idea is to burn more calories than you eat,” says Mark Takac, a personal trainer and manager of the Parisi Fair Lawn location. “With this program, if someone can’t make it to the gym, it’s no problem. They can still be in the negative by eating less or doing additional activities like taking the stairs or parking far from a store.”
Participants can calculate their calorie ratio on the web and through a small armband, which calculates calories burned. The new program, which is offered in Parisi’s Morris Plains and Fair Lawn locations, is 94 percent accurate and includes a personal coach who keeps participants on track and recommends changes and additional options for optimal results.
A facial is undoubtedly one of the most popular pre-wedding beauty treatments, and the Spa at Hilton Short Hills offers the ultimate version. The Valmont Select ($325) is a full-body treatment, with a 90-minute collagen facial, reflexology foot massage, and a collagen treatment for hands, eyes, neck, and décolleté area. Results are instant firmness, elasticity, and vibrant skin. Valmont uses only pure, medical-grade collagen—the kind used by plastic surgeons for skin grafting—and is hypoallergenic.
To increase the overall health of your skin, try GentleWaves, a non-invasive and intense skincare treatment where a pulsating LED light is placed over the skin, stimulating collagen-producing cells. The treatment fixes a bevy of skin problems including sun damage, large pores, dark under eye circles, acne scaring, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles.
“GentleWaves is fitness for your skin,” says Rick Krupnick, CEO of Light Bioscience, the company that created GentleWaves. “It recharges the batteries of skin cells and really enhances the overall look of the skin, regardless of age or skin type.” Krupnick recommends ten five-minute sessions, with results lasting from six months to a year. Currently offered by thirteen dermatologists and medical spas in the state, prices range from $800 to $1,000 for a ten-treatment package.